Adjustable door stop hinge assemblies



C. W. HAAG ADJUSTABLE DOOR STOP HINGE ASSEMBLIES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .June 24, 1958 Filed sept. 15, 195ey v INV (Zd/'Zes BY@ June 24, 1958 C, w, HAAG ADJUSTABLE DOOR STOP HINGE ASSEMBLIES 2. sheets-sheet 2 Filed Sept. 13, 1956 United States Y 2,839,779 ADJUSTABLE DOOR sToP HINGE AssEMLIEs Charles-W. Haag, '.Evansville,` Ind., assigner to Whirlpool Corporation, :afcorporation of Delaware Application September l13, 1.956, Serial No. 609,731v

2 Claims.` (Cl. 16e-191) Whichwill stap lthe doorat any of aplurality of chosen openpositions.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved doorrstophinge assembly including a stop plate whichhasaplurality of diijferentpositions for stopping lthe motion-.of the refrigeratoridoor vat a position of 909- open, a-.position offully'opemfor anyv of ka plurality of other intermediate positions. i

,Another object-of the .invention is the provision of Van improveddoor stop-hinge assembly in which'. thefhinge4 not only provides .a pivotal mounting :for the door, but thefhin'ge mayl also be so adjusted Aas tofprovide -a Vdoor stop limiting the opening movement of the door, and eliminating the necessity for any other door stop.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improvedhinge door stop assembly having provision for adjusting the position .of the door on the cabinet so that the door .seal .mayv engage .the face of the cabinet tightlyV all` around the door. opening.

Another objectof the invention is vtheprovision of an improved door stop hinge assembly including a cover which snaps on one of the hinge plates covering up all the securing screws and the mechanism of the adjustable d oor stop.

Another object ot the invention is the provision of an improved door stop hinge assembly which is .provided with antifriction-means on the pintle and betweenthe hinge'platesso that the hinge 4will operate with a minimum amount of friction and without any noise.

Another object of the invention is thefprovision of an improved door-stop-hinge assembly which may bel manufactured economically, which includes Aa 'minimum`l amount fof parts, which maybe used `for la long period of time without necessity for repair and which is adapted to replace notonly thehinges of the prior art, ,but also the door stopsof the prior art. i

v Othenobjects and advantages ofthe inventionswillbe apparenti-rom the `following disclosure andi description, inwhich similar characters of reference indicate similar'- parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the-two sheets of drawings, Fig. .-1 ,is avfragmentarygelevational view of a door sto hinge. assemblyv appliedl to va household refrigerator and embodying theinvention;

Fig. '12.is `asectional View taken ontheplane oflthe line 242 of Fi`g. .3, looking inlthe direction ofthe arrows, showingVthegtwohinge-plates; f

-"Fig;` 3i arrexpand d view in perspectiveshowing the parts of fthe'door stop hinge assembly;

"Fig.A 4'fis ,afragmentaryhorizontal ,sectional view taken on the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking vin-the direction of the arrows,V and also includingfragments of the cabinet and' door, in theclosed position;

Fig. 5 :is a viewv similar to Fig. 4with the door open Fig. 8 is a' similar view with the door open to a posiy tion of substantially1659; y

Fig. 9 is an elevational View of a modified form of hinge plate with provision for securing a cover;

Fig. 10is'an inside elevational view of the cover plate that fits upon the hinge plate of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is-a sectional View on the plane of the line Ylai-11 of` Fig. 9, looking `in the direction of the arrows', showing the formations on the hinge plate for engage-V ment with the cover;

f Fig. l12 is a sectional View taken on the plane of the line V12'-12 of Fig. 10, looking in the direction of the arrows, showing the parts of the cover that are formed to hold it on the hinge plate. t y

vReferring to Figs. lvto 3," indicates in its entirety l the present door stop hinge assembly which preferably includes a hinge plate 21 for attachment to the door, a'hinge plate 22 `for attachmentto the cabinet, a pintle 23 andla'stopplate 24. Y, Y The `hinge plate 21 for the door comprises a substantiallyVV rectangular metal member having a flat attaching flange 25-which is provided withv a pair of apertures 26 for receiving the screwV bolts which secure this hinge plate to the door.

The `door 27 comprises a. hollow metal member having an outer shell 28 formed with a face 29 and an edge flange 30 which is turned inwardly at 31.

The inwardly turned flange 31 is provided with a pressed depression 32 for receiving the hinge plates -21t of which there are usually two.

The hinge plate 21 is arranged in the depression 32' are threaded into a .reinforcing member 37. The door seal 33 has the resilient portion 38 engaging the tacel flange 39 of the cabinet shell 40 and covering the screw bolts 36.

The hinge plate 21 is bent backward in a diagonal di# rection at 41 and the diagonal portion 42 locates the i pintle 2.3 midway between the door ange 3.1` 'andthe face flange 39 of the cabinet.

Hinge plate `Z1 has itsouter edgeformed with the cylin-f-` drical bearing portions 44, 45 and .these hearing portions are located at each end ofthe plate which is cut-awaygan 46, 47, the inner ends of the bearing portions. leavingv ihis is the edgeA an edge 48 to serve as a stop surface. of the diagonal portion 42, Fig. 4.

The size of the bearing .portions 44, 45 is such that ythe j have aligned cylindrical bores 49, 50, adapted to receivei a commoncylindrical pintle 23 having a flathead51..whiel1 limits the motion of the pintle intothebore, the..head

engaging thefupper end of the plate 22.

Y l y .Thehingaplate 2 2` comprisesa rectangular metalmems ber and all of the parts of 3 the assembly may be made of steel.

Hinge plate 22 has a rectangular attachment flange portion 52 which is elongated and provided with oval apertures 53 adjacent eachV end. Hinge plate 22 has its left edge, Fig. 3, formed'withV the cylindricall bearing portions 54. These cylindrical bearing portions are lcated at each end of the body ange 52, sothat they are spaced to receive the bearing portions 44, 45 of the other hinge plate.

The bearing lportions 54 have cylindrical bores 55. These are also adapted to receive the pintle 23 which extends from end to end of the longer hinge plate 22.

Attaching flange 52 of hinge plate 22 yis cut away between the bearing portions 54 and terminates at a straight edge'56 adjacent each bearing portion but extends to the edge 57 at its central portion.

The stop surface 48 is also adapted to engage the outer surface 58 of the hinge plate 22 adjacent edge 57 when` the hinge opens to 165;

The bearing portions 54 are separated from each other suliciently so that they may not only receive the bearings 44, 45 between them, but there Vis also space for a pair of anti-friction washers 59, 60, Fig. 1.V These washers comprise flat rings of a non-metallic'material and are preferably molded out of plastic, such as nylon, which has a self lubricating characteristic.

The washers have an inner bore of'the same size as the bore 50 in the bearing portions and the outer surface of the washers is flush with the outer surface of the bearing portions. Thus the upper washer 59 engages the end 61 of the upper bearing portion 54 on plate 22 and it engages theend 62 of the upper bearing portion 44V on hinge plate 21.7

The lower nylon washer 60 engages the upper end 63 of lower bearing portion 54 on plate 22 and also engages the lower end 64 of the lower bearing portion 45 on plate 21. The weight of the door is borne by thev lower nylon washer 60, but the upper nylon washer prevents end play in the hinge plates with a minimum amount of friction.

The hinge plate 22 has a centrally located cylindrical aperture 65 which is used to pass screw 66 that nally secures the hinge plate 22 in Vits adjusted position, but in some embodiments of the invention, such as Fig. 9, there may be a second aperture 73 for this purpose.

The hinge plate 22is secured to the cabinet shell 40 adjacent the door opening which is defined by the edge 67, Fig. 4, and the shell is customarily formed with a double layer, including the face ange 39 and a rear ange 68 extending from the door opening 67 which is a hair pin bend.

Shell 40 has an inner ange 69 engaging the inside of the shell 40 and an inwardly extending flange 70 which may house the edge of a breaker strip, all of which reinforces the shell at the door opening.

A channelled member 71 is preferably located against the ange 69 in the groove 72 and has a threaded aperture for receiving the threaded end of the screw 66 which secures the hinge plate 22 to the shell.

Screw bolts like bolt 66 pass through the oval apertures 53 into the shell 40 being secured by being threaded into the same or similar channelled members 71, but due to the length of the oval apertures 53, this permits some adjustment of the door toward or away from the face ange 39 to secure a good contact between the door seal 33 and the face flange 39, compressing the door seal and making an air-tight connection. Such an adjustment could not be maintained against movement because the hinge plate 22 might still slide on the screw bolts which pass through the oval aperatures 53, and become loose at the door seal.

For this purpose the bolts are rst tightened in the oval apertures 53 and then a hole is drilled through the shell` 4 40 in alignmentvwith the hole 65Y toY receive the screw bolt 66 which permits no further sliding of the hinge plate 22 on the oval apertures and secures the door in adjustment with a tight seal.

In the embodiment of Fig. 9, the aperture 73 is used for this screw bolt and is counter-sunk at 73 to receive a flat head screw ush with the surface of the hinge plate.

The present assembly is preferably provided with a separate stop plate 24, Fig. 1, which is Vsubstantially rectangular and has a central aperture 74, used in Figs. 1 and 4 to receive the same screw bolt 66. The stop plate 24 has its four edges located and shaped in a particular manner torserve as a stop for limiting the opening motion of the door by means of the hinge parts.

For example, in Figs. 4 and 5, the diagonally, outwardly turned edge portion 75, is so located that it engages the edge 48 of hinge plate 21 with its edge 76 when the door has reached the 90 open position as shown in Fig. 5. `When it is desired to have the door open only to 90, Vthe stop plate 24 is oriented in this position. The various edges of the stop plate 24 are labelled with angular positions of the door, in Fig. 3, such as,'60, 1l5,.140,, and 165. j

I desire it understood that'these specic angles are merely exemplary and any desired angles may be employed.

The 115vu position-ofthe door is illustrated in Fig. 6 andfor this purpose the stop plate 24 is'rotated 180 until its outwardly turned shorter edge -portion 77 has its edge 78 located to engage the stop surface 48 when the door reaches the 115 position.

Referring to Fig. 7, this illustrates the 140 position and for this purpose the stop plate 24 is bevelled at 79, Fig. 3, and the plate is rotated from the position of Fig. 3 through 90 counter-clockwise to the position'l of Fig. 7 where it is secured by screw bolt 66.

The stop surface 48 then engages the bevelled surface 79 and stops the door at the 140 position.

A fourth position is illustrated in Fig. 8 in which the stop plate 24 has its edge 80 cut away until the stop plates does not interfere with the stop surface 48 on hinge plate 22. Hinge plate21 may then rotate until the stop surface 48 engages the hinge plate 22 at the surface S8 and the door is then. opened to about 165.

Thus the stop plate 24 may be adjusted to any of four positions for'varying the opening limits of the door.

The assembly including'hinge plate 22, screw bolts 66 and stop plate 24 is covered by means of a cover plate 81, Fig. 4, which comprises a stamped sheet metal member formed with an inwardly turned border flange 82 on its top, bottom and rear edge.

The border flange is sprunginwardly at 85 to engage the i edge S3 of the hinge plate 22 and the opposite edge of the cover 81 may be formed with a pair of curved retaining flanges 83a which engage only about the bearing portions v 44 of the plate 21.

In the preferred form of the inventionshown in Figs. 9 to 11, the hinge plate 22a issimilar in every respect except it has extending from the edges 56, a pair of outwardly curved retaining lugs 56a which retaining lugs cooperate with curved anges 83a on the improved cover 81a which extends only to the side 54a of the bearing portions terminating-atstraight edge 84.

In this case the cover plate 81a has the same border flange 82a on its top, bottom and rear side but the border flange 82a is pressed inward at 85 along the rear edge of the border flange at two points where the hinge plate 22a, Fig. ll, has a depressed portion 86.

Thus the cover plate 81a has its retaining portions 85 which snap into the depressed portions 86 on the edge of hinge plate 22a. In this case hinge plate 22a may also be provided with a separate aperture 65a'for receiving a Y f separate screw bolt that rotatably Vsupports the stop plate 24.

Aperture 73 is used for securing the hinge in its adjusted position but aperture 65 may be threaded to receive a screw bolt permitting adjustment of the stop plate at any later date.

It will thus be observed that I have invented an improved hinge and door stop assembly in which the door is automatically stopped at an open position that is dependent on the adjustment of thestop plate.

Where a cabinet is arranged in a right hand corner with a right hand hinge, it may be desired to limit the door opening to 90 so that the door will not strike the right hand wall. Various other positions of the door stop may be convenient depending on the location of other kitchen furniture, such as, stoves and cabinets, to prevent the door from hitting them but permitting the desired amount of opening.

The door hinge assembly is simple, it assures a tight door seal adjustment and it permits the ready adjustment of the amount of door opening. Y

While I lhave illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but Vdesire to avail myself of 4all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, whatI claim as new and desire to` secure by Letters Patent of the United States,`is:

1. A refrigerator door stop hinge assembly, comprising a first hinge plate to be secured to a refrigerator door having a door seal thereon engaging a cabinet shell, vsaid plate having a at body with apertures for' screw bolts to secure the body to the door, said body having a first pair of spaced pintle bearings, and being provided with a diagonal portion supporting said first bearings with their axis midway of the seal, and being cut away between said rst bearings to provide a stop edge, a pintle insaid first bearings, said stop edge terminating yadjacent the outer surface of said pintle, a second hinge plate having a flat body with a pair of second bearings at oneredge thereof and mounted on said pintle outwardly of the iirst bearings, said 'pintle supporting va nylon washer between each second bearing and each first bearing, said second plate body being cut rf/ay between its second bearings and terminating at an coge, which clears the first bearings, and which has a stop lug projecting between the iirst bearings, said second plate body having horizontal, elongated, oval apertures for securing screws, permitting horizontal sliding only of the second plate on said securing screws to adjust the tightness of the door seal, and said second plate body having a third aperture for a self tapping screw to be inserted in said third aperture and driven into a hole drilled in the cabinet shell, when the door hinge is `adjusted for seal tightness, said second plate body having a fourth aperture located adjacent its stop lug, a screw bolt for said fourth aperture, and a substantially rectangular apertured stop plate rotatable and se- Vcurable on said latter screw bolt, said stop plate Ihaving one edge clearing the first body stop edge, and permitting rthe first body stop edge to engage the face of the second plate to stop the door at wide open position, said stop plate having its three other edges formed to engage the stop edge on the first plate at any one of three different door open'positions, between right angle and wide open position.

2. A refrigerator door stop hinge assembly according to claim 1, in which said second plate body has a pair of outwardly projecting cover supporting lugs located at its edges, which clear the first, plate bearings, and said second plate having its opposite edge provided with depressions on its back side, forming recesses opposite the cover supporting lugs for retaining a hinge cover having complementary securing formations thereon.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,076,689 McKinney Oct. 28, 1913 1,721,934 Thompson et al. July 23, 1929 2,133,663 Johnson et al. Oct. 18, 1938 2,248,493 Curtiss July 8, 1941 2,332,195 Bergstrom Oct. 19, 1943 2,620,508 Goulooze Dec. 9, 1952 2,775,783 Kapanka et al. Jan. 1, 1,957 

